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WHY NOT YOU?

Name: WHY NOT YOU?
Author: Ciara Wilson
ISBN: 978-0-593-37440-5

by Ciara Wilson and Russell Wilson ; illustrated by Jessica Gibson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2022

An enthusiastic and inspiring clarion call to young dreamers.

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An invitation to children to take on challenges and celebrate themselves as they follow their dreams.

Vivid and colorful digital illustrations introduce readers to two brown-skinned children shown in different everyday scenarios: They move from the classroom to the playground and ultimately soar into a setting sun. The text encourages young readers to ponder the titular question but acknowledges that “life is filled with many lessons. Obstacles may block your view. Disappointing situations may make triumph hard for you.” Still, the narrative insists that anything is possible for children determined to persevere against all odds. Youngsters with various skin tones, hair textures, physical builds, and disabilities make up the community surrounding the main characters. These secondary characters share their gifts on one set of facing pages devoted to spotlighting them individually. A striking double-page spread toward the end of the book presents an aerial view of the children, all wearing capes and using colored chalk to cover a driveway with words describing their inner magic. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An enthusiastic and inspiring clarion call to young dreamers. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-37440-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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PIRATES DON'T TAKE BATHS

by John Segal and illustrated by John Segal ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

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Echoes of Runaway Bunny color this exchange between a bath-averse piglet and his patient mother. Using a strategy that would probably be a nonstarter in real life, the mother deflects her stubborn offspring’s string of bath-free occupational conceits with appeals to reason: “Pirates NEVER EVER take baths!” “Pirates don’t get seasick either. But you do.” “Yeesh. I’m an astronaut, okay?” “Well, it is hard to bathe in zero gravity. It’s hard to poop and pee in zero gravity too!” And so on, until Mom’s enticing promise of treasure in the deep sea persuades her little Treasure Hunter to take a dive. Chunky figures surrounded by lots of bright white space in Segal’s minimally detailed watercolors keep the visuals as simple as the plotline. The language isn’t quite as basic, though, and as it rendered entirely in dialogue—Mother Pig’s lines are italicized—adult readers will have to work hard at their vocal characterizations for it to make any sense. Moreover, younger audiences (any audiences, come to that) may wonder what the piggy’s watery closing “EUREKA!!!” is all about too. Not particularly persuasive, but this might coax a few young porkers to get their trotters into the tub. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-25425-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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by John Segal & illustrated by John Segal

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by John Segal & illustrated by John Segal

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THE LONELY MOOSE
by John Segal & illustrated by John Segal

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SICK SIMON

by Dan Krall ; illustrated by Dan Krall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 13, 2015

Though the science is not particularly solid, the message is an important one, and with the level of gross in the...

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Krall’s latest is a disgusting, tongue-in-cheek lesson in contagiousness.

Simon loves school so much that even a cold (with its attendant snotty nose) won’t keep him home. He kisses his family and boards the bus, proceeding to vomit out the window on the way: “He…had fun the whole way,” the text understates. The merest contact or proximity leads others to suddenly, and unrealistically, sport Simon’s symptoms. The week includes show-and-tell, a zoo field trip, a game of kickball and a child-free bus on Friday afternoon, all the children having finally succumbed to his illness. The three germs that have been following him around all week finally introduce themselves and high-five him for being such a “germ hero.” Horrified, Simon does his best to stop their spread, washing his hands, covering his mouth, resting and hydrating, though the same cannot be said for one classmate on Monday morning. Krall’s illustrations work in the ick factor, his Photoshopped characters sporting oozing and dripping poison-green noses as each comes into contact with Simon. Careful observers may spot the colorful germs before they introduce themselves, but even those who don’t will want to go back and try to find all their appearances.

Though the science is not particularly solid, the message is an important one, and with the level of gross in the illustrations, it is sure to get through to young audiences. (Picture book. 4-8)